Sierra Nevada Network

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The Sierra Nevada Network Inventory & Monitoring Program is one of 32 National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring (I&M) networks across the country established to facilitate collaboration, information sharing, and economies of scale in natural resource monitoring. The Sierra Nevada Network (SIEN) comprises four national park units located on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.

These parks have a striking elevation gradient, from 1,370 feet (418 meters) in the foothills to 14,494 feet (4,421 meters) at the top of Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48 states. This elevation gradient and topographic variability result in a high diversity of plants and animals.

SIEN works closely with each park's natural resources program to develop and implement long-term monitoring and provide sound scientific information to park managers. Learn more about specific topics by exploring the links on the left or visit the park units pages to discover the particular resources found at each of these special places.

Featured Information

Climate—particularly precipitation and temperature—is a primary ecosystem driver in the Sierra Nevada. It ultimately controls plant and animal distributions, and
strongly influences physical drivers and resources such as fire regimes, nutrient cycling, and water availability. Atmospheric warming is resulting in an increase in the fraction of rain to snow, decreasing the maximum snowpack water content, and causing earlier melt of the snowpack.The SIEN is monitoring several vital signs that will likely reflect consequences of climate change...Learn more...

Yosemite National Park Webcams
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Click here to see a complete list of live webcams at Yosemite National Park.

Webcams at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (click on image for a larger view)

Click here to see a complete list of live webcams at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.